ARGYLE Head Coach Paul Mariner is enjoying the learning process of life in the Championship.

A highly-decorated player in his time and an experienced coach in the United States, Mariner is now relishing the challenge of proving himself as a boss in his own country.

He sees progression in the Pilgrims and the acquisition of John Carver as his assistant is proving a masterstroke.

He said: "I didn't have any doubts about my own ability and is it different managing in the States or Spain to here?

"As I said when I came, I'm a pretty quick learner. I knew the league, obviously not inside out, but I knew what type of league it was, and I thought that I could adjust.

"Getting John Carver in alongside me has been a tremendous move, so I'm thrilled with how it's going.

"We had a bit of a lesson at Newcastle but we looked at that game as a progression. We gave away bad goals but we weren't that far off the pace.

"It is all about progression and the culture of the way we are, and the way we want to play.

"The players are a wonderful bunch to work with and team-spirit is a wonderful thing to have, and we've got a lot of it."

The next test for Mariner is Saturday's relegation battle at Sheffield Wednesday.